Hello there far away and still fabulous friends,

This is a little Germinate update and call out.

We, the Germs, editors of your favourite enviro justice zine Germinate are happy to say the we are back on track, we have two new members in our collective, thanks Dom and Juliet! So you should be looking forward to a fresh and exciting editorial perspective in the Summer edition of 2011.

However we currently have received a total of 0 submissions :'(

The deadline for articles is November 30.

If you reckon this deadline is too soon, at least get in touch with intentions before that day and we can work it out. Over the next month we will be doing more specific call outs for articles on topics that we want to see discussed but for now, feel free to let us know about any articles, topics, art or poetry you might like to throw in Germinate.

If your stuck, here are some questions that we printed in the last edition, hoping for some insightful responses.

“An overwhelming majority of ASEN members are privileged university students. We have access to education, resources and power that most people do not. We also talk a lot about ‘inclusivity’ and ‘anti-oppression’. But what do those terms really mean in our context? Should we be trying to make ASEN more ‘diverse’ in itself or should we be honest about who we are and where we organise and attempt to form better alliances between ASEN and other groups less structurally privileged?.”

“ASEN will simply fail to attract people if we view what we do as ‘work’. Activism can and should be fun, playful and dynamic. We do not have to copy the methods of work we learn from bourgeois society, but unlearning them can be difficult” – What is your view of work and play in activism and life?

“We have been asking if our current actions are the equivalent of trying to stop a tank coming to destroy our house by throwing styrofoam at it and asking it nicely to stop. Do we need more effective tactics, or will more of the same do?”

“Safe(r) Spaces may be impossible to achieve through workshops, formal discussions and written agreements alone as these can create a culture of fear for ‘fucking up’. The only thing that will create real safer spaces is a commitment to community building in the long term.” – Discuss, drawing on your experience of activists and radicals trying to create safer spaces.

“Breaking down oppression is both the responsibility of the oppressed and oppressor(s).” What are the implications of this statement? Draw on personal experience. Happy writing! love the Germinate editors